EU warning for Australia on China
The caution has come as Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin continue to step up co-operation against a backdrop of the raging war in Ukraine and simmering tensions in the Indo-Pacific.
Ambassador Gabriele Visentin said on Wednesday what happens in Australia's neck of the woods is 'completely intertwined' with what happens in Europe. Ambassador Gabriele Visentin says China is showing 'worrying signs' of deeper alignment with Russia's anti-West agenda. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia
'I cannot possibly comment on the choice that the Australian government has on its defence policies,' the EU's envoy told the National Press Club.
'What I can say is that there is … a clear link between the Chinese and the Russian visions of what the new international rules-based order should be.
'We have seen maybe some worrying signs of military scaling up of China.'
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said last week said China's rapidly growing nuclear arsenal is driving 'security anxiety' in Australia.
As of mid-2024, China's operational nuclear warheads exceeded 600, according to the US Department of Defence.
That was nearly triple what the country was estimated to have in 2020.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also earlier this month warned of an 'imminent' threat from China, saying Beijing could invade the democratically self-governing island of Taiwan as early as 2027.
Such a move would deal a major blow to global supply of semiconductors – crucial components in modern tech – and massively disrupt vital trade routes.
'Let me be clear, any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world,' Mr Hegseth told the Shangri La Dialogue.
'There's no reason to sugar-coat it. The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent.
'We hope not but certainly could be.'
Mr Hegseth also called on Australia to boost defence spending in a meeting with Mr Marles, who holds the defence portfolio, on the sidelines of the conference.
Asked how the EU might intervene in the event of a significant escalation in the Indo-Pacific, Mr Visentin was hesitant to outline any measures but said Europe had a 'vital interest' in keeping the region 'free'.
'I definitely think that the two theatres are completely intertwined,' he said.
'Forty per cent of the global trade towards the EU comes from the Indo-Pacific.
'Therefore, we do have a vital interest that the Indo-Pacific remains free and open.
'It's a matter of our wealth and our prosperity.
'So, of course we have to be aware of what a disruption of the status quo would mean for us as well.'
The bloc deployed warships to the Red Sea in early 2024 to protect cargo ships from attacks by Islamist militants in Yemen emboldened by the conflict in Gaza.
Mr Visentin also expanded on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's comments last month saying she wanted a deeper 'strategic partnership' with Australia.
'It's not a military alliance,' he said.
'It's a partnership for co-operation on defence issues, including industrial things.'
He added 'there is no scope for an understanding in terms of transfer of troops or mutual help and mutual assistance', unlike NATO, which guarantees blanket mutual defence if a member state is attacked.
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